Christmas Concoctions
by Malcolm Yuy
Summary: Who ever thought baking Christmas cookies could be so much fun...Happy Holidays everyone! Sokai, AU


A.N.: Hello one and all, and Happy Holidays! I'd like to thank a radio commercial for giving me the inspiration to write this oneshot…also, I'd like to thank you reviewers, who, over this first year as a KH writer (I previously wrote for Gundam Wing, Digimon, and Love Hina) have welcomed me with open arms, and I love you all for that. So, to commemorate my first year as a KH writer (and also since my first KH fics were Christmas ones), I write these for you, the audience. I hope you all enjoy this Sokai!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts…do I look Japanese? Do I look like I'm made of money to you?**

_Italics: _Implied words.

**Bold: **Emphasized words.

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"**Christmas Concoctions"**

**By**

**Malcolm Yuy**

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Snow dawdled outside the foggy windows of the Akari house, as dark blue eyes pierced through the glass, watching the frozen water fall. Their owner, a teenage boy by the name of Sora, turned his head as his ears picked up a faint sound in the background that seemed to call his name.

It was his mother, who was currently wearing an apron. It was the holidays, and currently, the Akari household was anticipating the coming of Noel, and as such, they had prepared the house for the occasion. Christmas decorations were draped throughout the house, many of it garland, some of it scented green candles, along with the traditional Christmas tree, lights glowing, beautifully enamored with ornaments and a brilliant, gold star, with gifts surrounding it underneath, and a Christmas village next to it on the nearby table.

The light-brown, spiky-haired boy was bored out of his mind, and he gave his mother such an expression after she caught his attention. "Yes Mom..?" he asked in monotone syllables. His mother just shook her head as she stood there observing him.

"You look bored out-of-your-mind honey. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me in the kitchen," Mrs. Akari said, as she currently wore a white apron, doused in flour, with her shirt-sleeves rolled up. Her green skirt protruded underneath as she wore heels to match. She crossed her arms as her son continued staring at her. "So..?" Sora sighed irritably at her.

"I guess. Are you going to get Roxas to join too?" the male brunet questioned. His mother shook his head.

"I would, but he's out visiting his friends right now. He did say something about a girl…I think he said something about telling her that he likes her! Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if your brother got a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, then maybe he could finally relax."

"Sora!"

"What Mom? I'm just sayin'…my brother's too serious sometimes, that's all. He needs to chill," the boy remarked. Sora's mother gave him a slightly amusing expression.

"I swear Sora, sometimes you're just too much like your father…which reminds me, I need to call him. Last time we spoke, I think he said he was coming home from his trip to Radiant Garden tonight. You know how to make Christmas cookies, right..?" the woman asked. Sora raised an eyebrow at the woman who shared his hair color.

"Uh, no? I'm a guy. Besides, I need an apron to cover this…" he trailed off as he looked down at his current attire: a vibrant, red, turtleneck sweater with his silver crown necklace, brown khaki pants, and white skater sneakers. His mother nodded as she inspected his outfit.

"You got a point there. I'll get you one then. I think I'll make some quick calls while I'm at it, they'll just be a minute I promise. You stay here, and I'll be right back." Sora sighed as he looked away from Mrs. Akari.

"Alright." He heard his mother's heels leave the carpet and tap onto hardwood floor as she went to call her husband. He sighed from where he sat, a couch of light gold, looking out the window again.

Sora currently lived in Twilight Town. He had been since two years ago when he started high school. Before that, he lived at the Destiny Islands, which wasn't too far away from where the ville was located. The one thing he did like about Twilight Town over the Destiny Islands was the fact that at least they experienced seasons on a regular basis. He liked the fact that he would get a White Christmas every winter, unlike the Destiny Islands that **did **get snow, but only every once in a while. Sora smiled at his dim reflection as he continued his musings.

Having seasons wasn't the only thing the boy liked about living in Twilight Town; however, that was something else that would be discussed later. His mother smiled as she walked back into the living room. "Well, I called your father, and he said that he would actually be home shortly; I also called Riku while I was at it." Sora's ears perked up at the name.

"Riku..? Really?" Mrs. Akari inclined her head.

"I asked if he would like to come visit you since you have nothing to do. He said he'd be here in about an hour or two," the female brunette answered. She then narrowed her green orbs for a moment before widening them in some realization that she had. "Oh yes, before I almost forget: I made one more call. Since your father will be arriving in Atlantica soon, I need to drive to the gummiport to pick him up, so I called someone to help you in the baking," Mrs. Akari added, giving her son a "I know something you don't" smile. The boy just gave her a peculiar expression.

"And who would that be?" he questioned. A sharp knock was then heard from the front door, rattling Sora and his mother from the conversation as they both turned to look towards the portal. He then looked back towards his parent, who placed her hands upon her hips.

"Why don't you answer it then and find out? I need to go get my winter coat before I go out there; I heard it's oftly chilly out there." Sora faintly obeyed the woman's instructions.

"Okay." He then turned back, before getting up from his seat as his mother disappeared from the living room. After wrapping his left hand around the knob and twisting it to open the door, his mouth slightly stood agape at whom he saw standing before him.

"Hi Sora!" a cheery, dark-red headed, lavender-blue eyed girl exclaimed, dressed in winterwear for the appropriate occasion. Sora couldn't help but blush as the girl revealed to him her pearly whites.

"Oh, h-hi Kairi," the male brunet stuttered in response. The boy mentally shook his head as his sky-blue orbs regarded the female in front of him.

So maybe the other reason will be discussed sooner rather than later. Kairi Herutsu was the other reason Sora Akari liked living in Twilight Town; living across the street from him in a different looking house with almost the same exact floor plan as his house, it seemed like the houses were paternal twins separated by the chord of road. Almost soon after Sora began moving his bric-a-brac into his new living space two years ago, he was offered help from the girl, who's long, beautiful, longer-than-shoulder-length hair was then-shorter-than-shoulder-length tresses.

The soon began a burgeoning friendship, which over their first year together, had blossomed a holly of feelings in the young man. Feelings that the spiky-brunet wanted to convey desperately to the young woman.

However, there were a few problems with this scenario: one being that Kairi was a vied-for-girl within their high school; two was that though the teen was trying his best to express his emotions for the girl to the girl, the ways in which he carried them out weren't the most obvious and overt; and three, Sora, in his slightly punk-looking appearance, didn't exactly see himself as being deemed "worthy" of her affections.

And it didn't really help the fact that the auburn-haired beauty seemed interested in other males at their public institution either. In Sora's mind, he figured that he was better off **not **telling her how he felt about her directly. It was a line he was afraid to cross, and he didn't want to cross that line if she didn't return his feelings. Once more, if she didn't return his feelings, then the friendship they currently shared would be strained.

It really seemed like a no win-win situation in Sora's irises. So he did the only thing he could think of to do: keep his emotions for her concealed and be happy with the relationship they had.

And it seemed to work like a charm, although his yearning to be with her ached him to-the-bone at times. It was events like these that made him both depressed and frustrated.

But he decided to put it all aside as he gave the girl a warm, inviting smile. "Uh, why don't you come in? I'll get out of your way here," Sora said as he backed off, before bowing in the doorway of the living room as he allowed Kairi to enter. She returned his gesture as she made her way inside.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." The girl trekked her medium-colored brown boots onto the hardwood floor as she closed the door behind her. As she did so, her male companion took a moment to glance at her attire. She was wearing a pink cardigan with a green scarf, blue jeans, and matching gloves for her boots. She removed them as her hands found warmth in the Akaris' home. Her lips widened upwards as she examined her friend. "You look nice," she said politely.

Sora's cheeks hued with a tint of rouge at her compliment. It took all the manpower he had within him to say his next sentence in a stable manner. "Thanks. You too." The two then turned as they noticed Mrs. Akari entering the entryway adorned with her winter coat. She smiled as she noticed the appearance of the other female.

"Hello Kairi," Sora's mother addressed. The redheaded girl nodded kindly at the older woman standing before her and the male brunet.

"Hello Mrs. Akari."

"I'm sure you know how to bake cookies, yes?" the woman asked. Kairi formed an upside-down frown before she answered the question.

"Of course!"

"Then would you be a dear and show my son how to..? I have to pick his father up at the gummiport, and I'm afraid that without me here he would burn the house down."

"Mom!" Sora glared at his mother, who just laughed at his peeved expression.

"What honey, I'm just saying…you don't how to cook." Sora sighed as his head drooped in mid-air.

"You do have a point there…" Kairi giggled at the boy's statement as she looked to him for a moment, before re-focusing her concentration back upon her companion's parent.

"Don't worry Mrs. Akari, I'll make sure little Sora here doesn't burn the house down," she remarked as she ruffled the boy's hair. Sora swiped at her hands.

"Kairi!" The girl giggled again as she retracted her hands to her sides, and Sora sighed as made sure his strands were in place. As frustrated as the boy pretended to be, deep down he really bubbled at the physical attention the female was showing him. Oh, if she only knew how he truly felt about her…

Mrs. Akari smiled as she saw the two interact. "Well, now that I have the house in _safe hands-_" Sora sharply regarded her as he tilted his head upwards as she added, "-I'll be going to pick up his father now. Have fun honey! I'll be back soon!" She then walked off as she made her way towards the kitchen, before turning to enter the garage. After hearing the garage door opening, the sound of a car engine starting, and the garage door closing, Sora found himself and Kairi alone in his house. Kairi turned her attention now upon young man standing before her.

"So, why don't we go bake those cookies? I don't know about you, but I'm famished. I think some Christmas cookies will help me get in the spirit," she mentioned. Sora nodded in agreement as he took note of her statement. "But I think I'm going to slip out of this sweater and scarf first. It's warm and toasty in here, heh," Kairi stated as she unraveled her scarf from her neck, before unzipping her cardigan to reveal a navy blue, short-sleeved tee. She then hung her belongings on the nearby coat rack, before looking back to Sora. "Ready?" she asked.

"Only if you are," Sora said, now calmer than he was before. It still didn't help that he could feel his heartbeat though. This feeling just wouldn't let the poor boy go. He wistfully shook his head as he followed his female companion into the kitchen. Kairi picked up the apron his mother was wearing earlier, and tied it on within seconds. She placed her hands on her hips as she looked at the brunet.

"You going to get an apron?" Sora nodded his head. "Good. As I see here on the kitchen table, your mother already has the tin foil cut out, along with the batter. Do you have any cookie cutouts?" she asked. Sora shrugged as he went to the nearby closet to look for an apron.

"I don't know…your best guess is to look in one of the drawers," he muffled as he struggled to find a ware to protect his garments. A moment later, he sighed sarcastically as he found what he was looking for, but…

"Is something the matter? You're taking oftly long to find an apron," the girl said as she made her way towards the boy, stirring the batter in the mixing bowl. The male sighed again as he moved his head out of the closet.

"Well, sort of…I found an apron. Only problem is…" he trailed off as he pulled it out, showing a dark pink, **very **feminine variant of the item his friend was wearing at the moment. "…it's not quite me," he finished as Kairi let out a loud laugh, her body slightly shaking. She put the batter down upon the table before righting herself. Poor Sora just continued staring at her as she was doing so.

"Sorry," she said sweetly. Sora gave her a smile in response.

"No problem. Don't worry about it." He then hesitated as he looked at the object he was holding, before deciding to begin tying it on. Kairi raised her eyebrow as she looked at him.

"Are you sure you want to wear that? You can trade for mine if you like," she suggested. Sora just shook his head.

"Nah, I'll be fine. As long as word of this doesn't leave this house…right?" he asked. Kairi happily nodded.

"Right. It'll be between us." She briefly looked to the girly apron before gazing him back in the eye. "Besides, you look kind of cute in it anyways. I bet it wouldn't look good on me," she said, a hue of pink lighting her cheeks before she turned away. Sora could feel the heat rise in his cheeks as he still observed her, before catching the end of her little comment.

"Hey, are you saying that I'm more feminine than you are?" Kairi giggled as she looked back to bat her eyelashes at him.

"I don't know, maybe." She laughed some more as the spiky-haired youth just shook his head.

"Right. Whatever…" he swore under his breath. One minute she flirted with him, and the next minute she was a tease. Just another reason why he held back from confessing to her…

Girls were so confusing. He couldn't tell whether she really liked him, or if she just liked him as a friend. Again, it shouldn't matter. Friends were what they are.

And friends would be all they would remain to be.

"Well, now that I have the batter mixed, let's pour them into the cutouts. Then we can put them in the high-powered oven and cook them 'till they're ready!" she exclaimed as she clasped her hands together. Sora put on a happy expression for her.

"Okay." He followed her to the kitchen island as they assorted the cutouts that the auburn-haired female had found while the light-haired brunet was searching for his apron. Kairi then slowly began pouring the mixture into the plastic molds, until twelve of them were filled with ooey-gooey cookie batter. The two then pressed and mashed them onto the aluminum foil, and as they worked together, they both smiled to one another as they continued their work. Moments later, twelve battered cookies were assembled on a sheet of silver. Kairi wiped her brow as her and her male companion examined their fruition.

"I'm glad that's done." She then turned to look at Sora. "Could you open the oven so I can place the sheet inside? Then we can make another for the second shelf." Sora dimly inclined his head as she smiled, opening the oven as she placed the sheet inside. He then walked back to the table as the couple repeated the process. Minutes later he repeated his previous motion, and then closed the oven door as the two shelves were full. Kairi set the settings on "high", and leaned back on the kitchen table as she sighed, satisfied. Sora crossed his arms as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Are you glad the semester's over?" he questioned. She nodded.

"I feel more relieved, actually…what about you?" she asked in return. He copied her expression.

"Me too, especially with Math. I hate Math," said the brunet. The redhead giggled.

"Well too bad. I actually like Math," she commented. Sora just rolled his eyes.

"I know you do." Silence followed as Sora still felt his heart ache, trying to find another topic to talk about. He smiled to himself when he found one. "So, what are you going to do after this?" he asked. Kairi shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know…what about you?" she inquired.

"Riku's coming over," he stated, mentioning his shaggy-styled, platinum-haired friend. Kairi smiled at the notice of the other boy's name.

"Really? I remember the last time we were all together. He was cool," she said. Sora faintly nodded.

"Very." He mentally sighed to himself. Even his best friend caught Kairi's interest. However, Sora couldn't quite blame him…Riku **was **a chick magnet after all. He just possessed a certain flair about him, a certain maturity. Which made him wonder…why was his old companion never seen with a girl in the first place? Sora decided that would be a question he would ask later. The minutes continued to tick by slowly, as quietness enveloped the two again. Kairi then chose to break the silence.

"Do you have any icing so we can decorate the cookies? Then we can enjoy some and leave more for your family and Riku…when they get back," Kairi suggested. Sora nodded.

"That's a good idea. I'll get it." He went over to a nearby drawer near the cabinet, and pulled it open to reveal a sliding compartment. He then found three tubes of icing, in three colors: red, green, and white. He then closed the drawer as he made his way over to the girl. "Here you go. Which color do you want first?" Sora asked.

"I'll take red. And you?"

"Green." The two shared a smile before grabbing their own tubes. Just as they had decided which tubes they were going to use, the oven rang, signaling that the cookies were ready. Kairi smiled as she turned off the oven.

"We'll let the cookies cool down for a minute before we take them out. Which reminds me…how come your brother isn't helping? Isn't he here? I just noticed that we haven't heard or seen him since I got here," she mentioned. Sora just chuckled as he shook his head.

"You won't find him here. Roxas went off to…see some girl I think, I don't know. I think that's what my mom said," the boy answered. The auburn-haired girl pressed her lips into an "oh" expression.

"I see. Good for him then." The two then quieted down for a moment, before Kairi looked back towards the oven. "I think its okay to get the cookies out now. I'll open the oven." She wrapped her hand around the oven door handle as she pulled it down. However, what the girl didn't foresee was that the handle was still hot. It seared her hands as she opened it. "Ow!" she yelled. Sora hastily rushed to her aid, grabbing her ever-so-dainty hands, blushing as he did so.

"Let me see…they look okay to me," he said as he examined them. He glanced back up to her.

"They burn a little…" Kairi trailed off as she tried to deal with the pain. It didn't turn out very well though, as she began groaning in discomfort. She was about to retreat her hands from Sora's when he tightened his grip a little, causing the girl's violet orbs to look into his blue's.

"I'll fix it." Sora then began blowing onto them, and Kairi closed her eyes as she felt his breath calm her hands. Her lips softened from a frown into a thin line, before smiling in relief. "There, all done. You should be a little more careful next time, okay?" Kairi opened her irises as Sora's hand retreated from hers.

"Okay. Thanks." She then looked back toward the oven shelves. "Can you pull the cookies out for me then? I don't want to burn my fingers again," she said. Sora nodded his head.

"Alright." His hands gripped the sides as he removed the sheets, one-by-one, before closing the oven door as he sat the sheets on the kitchen table. The two then grabbed their tubes of icing.

"Ready to decorate?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yep."

"Then let's go!" The two then began applying icing to the baked treats. Sora's eyes narrowed as he began working on one cookie in particular, which was in the shape of a Gingerbread Man. He was about done with its head when he felt something hit his face. He looked to his right as Kairi gave him a playful smile. "What?" she asked. The boy smirked.

"I think you know what…and don't think I'm going to let you off that easy," he said. The girl widened her eyes as a thread of green icing made its way onto her visage.

"Oh, it's on now…" she then began spraying red icing towards her male companion. Sora jerked back as it collided with his apron.

"Too slow!" He then aimed some, and Kairi luckily ducked from the trajectory of the icing. The two then began shooting the gooey substance back and forth at each other.

"Missed me!"

"You wish!"

"Crap!"

"Gotcha!" Kairi exclaimed in victory as red icing was now smeared all over the boy's face. Luckily for Sora, he had gotten a few good shots with his tube as well. The two pointed at each other as they laughed at each other's appearance for a good minute or two. They then settled down as the redhead shook her head. "I'll get us some paper towels to clean our faces with," she said.

"I'll be waiting," Sora stated. His eyes then followed the girl as she tore out some of the paper fabric, and applied a little water to it from the nearby sink before giving one to her male companion.

"Here you go."

"Thank you." The two then began cleaning their faces of the icing. A few moments later, their faces were clean of the substance. They deposited their towels into the garbage can, and then went back to the table to sample their cookies. The two smiled at the sugary taste of the morsels.

"These are good. I should get the recipe sometime," Kairi mentioned. Sora silently agreed with her as he munched upon one of his cookies. The two then swallowed their last bites as they turned to each other. "Well Sora, it was great spending the day with you, but now that we're done here, I think it's time I should go home," said the girl. Sora frowned at her statement. He didn't want to see the girl leave so soon.

"Okay. I'm glad we spent this time together too. Can I escort you to the door?" he asked. Kairi happily nodded. "Great." The two then removed their aprons, placing them both upon a nearby stool. Sora then followed Kairi to the doorway as she zipped her cardigan back up, followed by her scarf. She was about to put on her gloves, when Sora noticed her gazing at him. He viewed her nervously. "What?" he asked. "What is it?" Before he could ask her any more questions though, he felt her hand hold his cheek, as her eyes dug into his. He stood mesmerized, suspended in time, before he felt her tongue grace his lips. Kairi then pulled away, Sora now looking at the back of her head abashedly as she turned to open the door.

"You had some icing on your lips," the auburn-haired girl said. "Bye, Sora." She went to walk out the door, but Sora grabbed her arm before she could leave him at the door, causing her to turn to look back at him. Her cheeks blushed as she gave him a nervous expression, observing him. The spiky-haired brunet uneasily smiled at her before leaning in, copying her motion. The young woman widened her eyes in astonishment as his sapphire orbs gazed into her lavender ones.

"_You had some icing on your lips too."_

_- Fin -_

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Finally, after…I don't know how many hours, I'm done!

I'm linking this with the **Christmas Namixas **that I'll be writing and releasing soon called **A Christmas Serenade.** It'll probably be out by either Saturday evening-night- Sunday, hopefully.

Well readers, thank you for taking the time to read, and please review. Happy Holidays!- _Malcolm Yuy_


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